In April 2009, we are going on holiday to Orlando. In English theme parks, you can get special bands for diabetics that allows you to skip the queues. We were wondering if there is a similar band I could get at the theme parks in Orlando to decrease the risk of hypoglycemic reactions, etc.

The Walt Disney World parks have something called a Guest Assistance Card for people who have medical conditions that require some accommodation in the park. These are not a carte blanche to the front of the queue; instead, they indicate what specific accommodation a person might need in order to stay healthy while they wait for an attraction or show. For example, if it is a very hot day and the lines are long, the accommodation that a person with type 1 diabetes might need would be to wait in a cooler place out of the sun because the heat, in your child’s case, can cause hypoglycemic reactions. That is just one example; every family is different.

When our web site conference goes to the Magic Kingdom as part of the Friends for Life conference in July, many of our families do get the Guest Assistance Cards. You can request them at any Guest Relations counter in any Disney park. We also utilize the Fast Pass system, which is available to any park guest (my own family actually finds these just as helpful as a Guest Assistance Card).

LB